Today a dreadful attack on "our" local community ambulances has taken place. The Government lack of action on hate has led to this inevitable event. Having open borders and no will to stop extreme Islamists as well.
Here is a post about the beginnings of this incredible Jewish run ambulance service for EVERYONE in the areas it operates in.
Thank you to all the Hatzalah volunteers locally and worldwide.
Screenshot from tonight's rally in Golders Green
THE STORY OF HATZALAH
From X @henshig
.......When I was just a little girl, my dad’s best friend, Samuel Schrage—everyone called him a spirited dynamo, a ginger-haired firecracker full of life—would call our house every single Friday, minutes before Shabbos, his voice warm and full of joy, checking in like family.
Then came that one terrible Friday when the phone stayed silent. Even as a child, my heart sank. Something felt horribly, achingly wrong.
Days later, the devastating truth shattered us: Sam had suffered a massive heart attack in the shower. He managed to call 911. Help came, but the EMTs—young, perhaps untrained in the urgency—told this vibrant man in his forties, full of plans and love for his community, to simply walk to the ambulance because he was “fine.” He collapsed right there and died on the spot. Gone. Just like that. A life snuffed out by negligence, leaving behind a grieving widow, children, and an entire community reeling in pain.
That unbearable loss birthed something sacred: Hatzalah. Rabbi Laibel Bistritsky A”H, heartbroken by the same kind of preventable tragedy in Crown Heights, refused to let another soul suffer the same fate. He founded this all-volunteer emergency service—funded entirely by donations from people who care—because no one should ever die waiting for help that arrives too late. My own brother is married to Rabbi Bistritsky’s granddaughter. He’s poured his heart into being an active EMT and fundraiser for Hatzalah for years. I’ve watched him rush out in the middle of the night, saving lives without a second thought—never for pay, never for glory, just pure, selfless love for humanity.
I’ve called Hatzalah myself more times than I can count in moments of panic, and they arrive faster than I can even hang up the phone—often before the call ends. They’re heroes in orange vests, scattered across the country and the globe, Jews and non-Jews alike, racing to anyone in need, no questions asked. This isn’t “elitist.” It’s not “just for Jews.” It’s a lifeline for everyone, born from tragedy, sustained by compassion.
And now, in Golders Green, heartless antisemites set fire to their ambulances—vehicles meant to save lives—right outside a synagogue. Flames devoured the very tools of mercy. Explosions shattered the night. This isn’t just arson. It’s pure, seething evil. How can anyone hate so deeply that they target those who run toward danger to save strangers? My heart breaks for the volunteers who woke to this nightmare, for the community living in fear, for every life that might now be at greater risk because hatred dared to strike at healers.
Please, if this story touches you—if you’ve ever felt the terror of waiting for help, or the relief of it arriving—consider donating to Hatzalah today. Every dollar keeps an ambulance on the road, a volunteer trained, a life saved. My prayers are with the brave members of Hatzolah Northwest in Golders Green, with the entire Jewish community there, and with all who dedicate their lives to this holy work. May Hashem protect them, strengthen them, and turn this darkness into light.
Here's the link to Hatzalah of South Fla. hsfems.org (where I live, but United Hatzalah is everywhere)
In memory of Samuel Schrage and all those whose loss inspired this unbreakable chain of kindness. 💔
chhatzalah.org/about
